P OSIBILIDAD DE ARBITRAJE

The participants and contributors to the study are drawn from the following groups 1. 9 Members of the IOSH Professional Committee (renamed Professional Ethics

Committee) and subsequent working party12.

2. 2 IOSH employed staff directly involved in the project. 3. 15 Health and Safety Practitioners invited for interviews. 4. 44 members of the IOSH Council.

5. 12 members of the IOSH Board of Trustees including 3 independents (not members of IOSH).

12  _{The term “working party” initially referred to members of the Professional Committee who were} involved in the development of the new Code. Eventually all members of the Committee became part of the working party. As such the working party is occasionally referred to as the Committee or vice versa in this document and documents created by IOSH such as minutes and reports.  

A total of 82 people were involved in the project to a greater or lesser extent. The 9 members of the PC(now known as the Professional Ethics Committee) formed the working party for the project. The 44 members of Council were invited to consult and comment on the draft version of the Code and approve it for submission to the Board of Trustees (BoT). The 12 members of the BoT having approved the project at the outset have final approval of the document following the IOSH Council stage. The 15 practitioners will not be involved in consulting on the main document, rather they will be given the opportunity to share their own experiences related to the existing Code, conduct and ethical issues that have arisen during their practice. This will be used to contribute to the guidance, dissemination strategy for the new Code and allow for the consideration of practice related issues not necessarily revealed during the consultation process. The 2 IOSH staff members (one being the Director of the Professional Affairs Directorate and the other being the recently appointed during Stage 2 of the project) provided the authority, administrative, technical and resource support to the project from the outset.

3.7.1 Professional Ethics Committee (Formally the Professional Committee)  

The Professional Ethics Committee (PEC) has the remit to uphold the IOSH Code of Conduct. The PEC is also responsible for recommending changes to the Code as and when required.

The PEC reports directly to the BoT and is required to produce a report to the IOSH Council and seek Council’s opinion about issues relating to ethical considerations in practice. In relation to the IOSH Code, the PEC must review and maintain the Code ensuring it reflects high standards and is comparable with best practice in other professional bodies. It should recommend any necessary changes for approval by the BoT, after appropriate consultation with Council. It considers all allegations of misconduct referred to it by the Chief Executive under the disciplinary procedure, and refers allegations to a Disciplinary Committee when appropriate. Its remit includes developing guidance relating to ethical considerations and dilemmas that may be faced by practitioners in the course of their practice. It also acts as the Appeals Panel for Membership Application and Professional Development processes.

Nominations Committee and the appointed Chair. Co-opted members may be appointed for specified periods to carry out specific tasks.

3.7.2 IOSH Council

The Council is the representative body of the Institution and is the ultimate champion and conscience of the Institution’s integrity and ethics. It is made up of elected members that provide advice and debate on strategic, professional and policy issues and represent the views of members to the Board of Trustees (IOSH 2010b).

The key responsibilities of Council are to:

• Elect the presidential team

• Approve appointments of the Nominations Committee, Risk Management and Audit Committee, BoT and Chairmen positions of the Standing Committee

• Review the performance of the BoT

• Propose necessary changes to the Charter and Byelaws, for approval by members and the Privy Council

• Propose resolutions to be considered at General Meetings • Consider and approve Regulations made by the BoT

3.7.3 IOSH Board of Trustees (BoT)

The BoT is appointed by the Council and is responsible for managing IOSH affairs. The Board has legal accountability for all IOSH activities and results. The Board consists of eight members, three independents (non-IOSH members) and the Chief Executive, and meets six times a year (IOSH 2010).

The BoT will ultimately be responsible for signing off on the Code of Conduct once the Council has approved it. The BoT has had impact on the review by agreeing the PEC’s work plan which included the review of the Code, agreeing the appointment of the EPM and reorganising the Committee structure including changing the terms of reference and name from the Professional Committee to the Professional Ethics Committee. The BoT also has 3 independent members who are not members of IOSH and represent the wider public interest.

3.7.5 Health and Safety Practitioner Interview Participants

In selecting the participants a purposeful approach was taken with the intention of obtaining a reasonable representation across industry, age, professional status and gender. The representation of the participants is shown under headings below:

Industry Representation 1. Consultancy 2. Construction 3. Education 4. Local Authority 5. Retail 6. NHS 7. Transport 8. Occupational Hygiene 9. Ergonomics 10. Property Management 11. Financial Membership Representation 1. Chartered IOSH – 9

2. Graduate Member IOSH - 0

3. Technician IOSH or equivalent - 4 4. Chartered CIEH - 1

5. Member IIRSM - 1

6. Member of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society - 1 7. Member of BOHS - 1 8. Other - 2 Gender 1. Male - 10 2. Female - 5 Age Range 1. 20-29 = 1 2. 30-39 = 6

3. 40-49 = 6 4. 50-59 = 1 5. 60+ = 1

Participants have been referred to anonymously, being provided with arbitrary names when quoted